Ellicott City flood plan presented
years, the plan’s completion will take over 20 years, McGilloway said.
Ball, who spoke at the beginning of Tuesday’s workshop, said the master plan will now provide concepts to enhance Ellicott City for the long term.
The plan “builds resilient solutions to keep Ellicott City, a city that is almost 250 years strong, for another 250 years strong,”
Ball said.
Some of the concepts McGilloway discussed have not changed materially from previous presentations but have been refined.
Under the pillar of flood mitigation, ways to minimize flood impacts from the Patapsco River will be explored as well as reducing impacts from storm debris, Mc- Gilloway said.
With Wilkins-Rogers Inc.’s Monday announcement that it will close its commercial grain mill in Oella, across from Old Ellicott City, it becomes possible to explore expanding the city’s floodplain, Mc- Gilloway said.
“Frankly, we were impressed by the thoughtfulness and depth of these comments that will help our city be resilient.”
— Calvin Ball, Howard County executive The mill is on the banks of the Patapsco River.
A focus of the plan is to increase green space and tree canopies wherever possible, under the environmental sustainability framework.
Creating alternatives for residents and visitors to get around the community that don’t include driving will require the master plan to improve the overall walkability and accessibility to sidewalks and paths, McGilloway said.
The plan will look to link nearby neighborhoods to downtown with new bicycle and pedestrian paths while meeting Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
Withers said he is “encouraged” to see the plan address the ADA, as it is “hard in a historic district to be ADA-accessible.”
With parking, planners will explore restricting parking where the flood risk is greatest, short-term parking measures and valet parking, McGilloway said.
He also discussed the possibility of developing a shuttle system to bring people to Old Ellicott City, which currently has approximately 900 parking spaces.
With economic development, Mc- Gilloway stressed that measures will be taken to ensure that customers and visitors have access to businesses on Main Street during construction. There will also be efforts to draw customers downtown while the area is renovated.
Under community character and placemaking, the plan will look to integrate art wherever possible as well as include outdoor spaces that can be used by the public for a variety of uses. There will be an effort to connect downtown outdoor spaces, parks, and open areas with sidewalks and paths.
Earlier this month, the County Council passed two resolutions — not unanimously, however — focused on strengthening development regulations in historic Ellicott City. The resolutions make developers meet higher standards for stormwater management and increase the fee developers pay when land cannot accommodate stormwater facilities.
In May, experts said the flood plan didn’t adequately address development regulation in the area.
The Master Plan Advisory Team will meet Oct. 24 “to discuss reactions to the new and refined concepts.” As a draft plan is developed, feedback from the advisory team and the public workshops will be considered with a “technical evaluation.”
There will be a survey posted in the near future regarding Tuesday’s presentation as well as an open house about the draft plan in the winter.
The plan “continues to get better” because of community thoughts and feedback, Ball said.
“Frankly, we were impressed by the thoughtfulness and depth of these comments that will help our city be resilient,”
Ball said.
Ball, who spoke at the beginning of Tuesday’s workshop, said the master plan will now provide concepts to enhance Ellicott City for the long term.
The plan “builds resilient solutions to keep Ellicott City, a city that is almost 250 years strong, for another 250 years strong,”
Ball said.
Some of the concepts McGilloway discussed have not changed materially from previous presentations but have been refined.
Under the pillar of flood mitigation, ways to minimize flood impacts from the Patapsco River will be explored as well as reducing impacts from storm debris, Mc- Gilloway said.
With Wilkins-Rogers Inc.’s Monday announcement that it will close its commercial grain mill in Oella, across from Old Ellicott City, it becomes possible to explore expanding the city’s floodplain, Mc- Gilloway said.
“Frankly, we were impressed by the thoughtfulness and depth of these comments that will help our city be resilient.”
— Calvin Ball, Howard County executive The mill is on the banks of the Patapsco River.
A focus of the plan is to increase green space and tree canopies wherever possible, under the environmental sustainability framework.
Creating alternatives for residents and visitors to get around the community that don’t include driving will require the master plan to improve the overall walkability and accessibility to sidewalks and paths, McGilloway said.
The plan will look to link nearby neighborhoods to downtown with new bicycle and pedestrian paths while meeting Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
Withers said he is “encouraged” to see the plan address the ADA, as it is “hard in a historic district to be ADA-accessible.”
With parking, planners will explore restricting parking where the flood risk is greatest, short-term parking measures and valet parking, McGilloway said.
He also discussed the possibility of developing a shuttle system to bring people to Old Ellicott City, which currently has approximately 900 parking spaces.
With economic development, Mc- Gilloway stressed that measures will be taken to ensure that customers and visitors have access to businesses on Main Street during construction. There will also be efforts to draw customers downtown while the area is renovated.
Under community character and placemaking, the plan will look to integrate art wherever possible as well as include outdoor spaces that can be used by the public for a variety of uses. There will be an effort to connect downtown outdoor spaces, parks, and open areas with sidewalks and paths.
Earlier this month, the County Council passed two resolutions — not unanimously, however — focused on strengthening development regulations in historic Ellicott City. The resolutions make developers meet higher standards for stormwater management and increase the fee developers pay when land cannot accommodate stormwater facilities.
In May, experts said the flood plan didn’t adequately address development regulation in the area.
The Master Plan Advisory Team will meet Oct. 24 “to discuss reactions to the new and refined concepts.” As a draft plan is developed, feedback from the advisory team and the public workshops will be considered with a “technical evaluation.”
There will be a survey posted in the near future regarding Tuesday’s presentation as well as an open house about the draft plan in the winter.
The plan “continues to get better” because of community thoughts and feedback, Ball said.
“Frankly, we were impressed by the thoughtfulness and depth of these comments that will help our city be resilient,”
Ball said.
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